Wednesday, December 11, 2013

It's going to be a happier and safer Christmas for 25 families in Manatee County's migrant community.
That's thanks to the generosity of folks who ponied up enough donations to "Healthy Start Project
Moses."
"We did it within hours," said Luz Corcuera, program director for Healthy Start Coalition of Manatee County, Inc.
Moses bassinets are sturdy baby baskets with liners, little mattresses and matching quilts made by volunteers. They're named for the iconic Biblical figure whose mother, according to the Book of Exodus, set him adrift in a basket on the River Nile when the Pharoah ordered all male Hebrew children be drowned in 1391 B.C. The Pharoah's daughter subsequently found Moses and raised him as her own child.
These bassinets serve a similar purpose: Keeping an infant safe.Money to buy 25 bassinets was raised after board member Adam Tebrugge has submitted "Healthy Start Project
Moses" to the Gulf Coast Community Foundation which approved it and kept the endeavor on its website.
"We raised the money in one day," Corcuera said. "Amazing."
Moses bassinets provide a secure place to sleep for babies up to three months old such as ones in the migrant community with difficult living
arrangements.
"So many families live in crowded conditions, sleeping with their babies," she said. "They put babies in their own bed, then they fall asleep and accidentally roll over the baby without realizing it. In some cases, they don't have places to sleep at all. But now moms can still put a mattress on the floor and keep the
bassinet next to them without accidentally rolling over the baby. They can also take it around, but our goal is making sure babies have a safe place to sleep."
Folks can still donate to help Healthy Start buy more Moses bassinets, too.
For details, visit www.healthystartmanatee.com.